1) For the innocent bystander rule in which you hit an adjacent character when you get a result of a 1 on your Shooting die, do you still go with the 1 on the Shooting die even if you rolled a good result on the Wild die? Another words, do you ignore the Wild die when you get a 1 on the Shooting die result in this circumstance?

2) I see the target number is stated in the core rulebook as a 4. Is this always the target number for any kind of roll that isn't tied to a Trait or is an Opposed roll or isn't modified by another factor? I was a little unclear on the 4 TN.

3) In running Initiative I was a bit confused about after the cards are dealt to each player the book says the GM then calls out the ace and then the deuce....does this mean the GM starts with the first suit in the order it states in the book (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs) until the players call out they have the card he just called? Then the player that has that card the GM called would declare their action I assume??

4) Again on Initiative, it seems a Joker allows a player to go at anytime in the round they wish or to be on hold for the next round and not be dealt in. Does this mean the player can go at any time in the round he was not dealt in as well or does he have to start off the round before anyone else with his action?

5) Can someone explain Shaken to me please? I haven't noticed a good explanation for it yet in my reading so far. When the character is a victim of being Shaken does that mean he cannot act again that round?

In adding to my questions a bit....the initiative part....Isn't it ok just to have the players flip the cards they were dealt for initiative and figure out the order that way instead of having the GM call out the order from the suits until we see what the players have? It seems this would save some time.

Last edited by daddystabz on Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:57 pm; edited 1 time in total

Another words, do you ignore the Wild die when you get a 1 on the Shooting die result in this circumstance?

No. If you roll a 1 on your Shooting skill but rolled a 5 on your Wild Die then your attack didn't miss. However, if your Shooting roll was a 1 and your Wild Die wasn't high enough to hit, then you might be subject to the innocent bystander rule.

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2) I see the target number is stated in the core rulebook as a 4. Is this always the target number for any kind of roll that isn't tied to a Trait or is an Opposed roll or isn't modified by another factor? I was a little unclear on the 4 TN.

A target number of 4 is what is required for every basic Trait test. What is modified is the actual roll of the dice. For example, the target number to climb that sheer cliff is 4, but since I have no equipment then I have to make my Climbing roll at -4, so I have to roll at 8 to be successful. Or, if the cliff has plenty of handholds then I might get a +2 to my roll, meaning that if I roll a 2 then I am successful.

Modifiers always change what you roll on the die. They don't change the target number of 4.

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3) In running Initiative I was a bit confused about after the cards are dealt to each player the book says the GM then calls out the ace and then the deuce...

In practice, the GM doesn't usually call out Aces and follows that up by going down the entire list of cards until they reach the 2 of clubs. All the cards are dealt face up and it's pretty easy to see who is suppose to go first, second, third, etc.

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4) Again on Initiative, it seems a Joker allows a player to go at anytime in the round they wish or to be on hold for the next round and not be dealt in. Does this mean the player can go at any time in the round he was not dealt in as well or does he have to start off the round before anyone else with his action?

I'll split this up into two actions. On the round the Joker is drawn, the player can go at any point during the round, but this really isn't an "interruption" as defined by the rules because the character was not on hold.

If the player chooses to go on hold until the next round, then he would have to make an opposed Agility roll in order to interrupt someone elses action.

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5) Can someone explain Shaken to me please? I haven't noticed a good explanation for it yet in my reading so far. When the character is a victim of being Shaken does that mean he cannot act again that round?

While someone is Shaken they can only move half their Pace and can perform no other actions. When it is the Shaken character's turn, he may recover by making a Spirit roll (difficulty 4 remember), and if he's successful then he has completely recovered but he cannot do anything else. If he makes a raise on his Spirit roll, rolls an 8, then he is no longer Shaken plus he can act as he normally does.

In adding to my questions a bit....the initiative part....Isn't it ok just to have the players flip te cards they were dealt for initiative and figure out the order that way instead of having the GM call out the order from the suits until we see what the players have? It seems this would save some time.

A target number of 4 is what is required for every basic Trait test. What is modified is the actual roll of the dice.

I guess where I'm confused is that a 4 is what the TN is for every basic Trait test but sometimes this isn't the case. For instance, when I want to hit an opposing character with a Fighting attack I must deal with that character's Parry number and I must equal it or exceed it to hit him or her.

What are the instances in which the TN is NOT 4 without modifiers taken into account to change the TN? If I want to use my Fighting skill to hit an opposing character I must go against that character's Parry value. If I want to shoot that opposing player is the TN still 4 plus any range/cover modifiers that would be in effect?

I think if I am reading the rules correctly that when shooting someone the TN is still a 4 but is modified by things like range, cover, lighting and, if the opposing character is using a Defenseive action. Is this correct?

I think if I am reading the rules correctly that when shooting someone the TN is still a 4 but is modified by things like range, cover, lighting and, if the opposing character is using a Defenseive action. Is this correct?

yes. when using a ranged weapon against someone, the base TN is 4. a character's Parry is only used to defend against melee attacks.

What are the instances in which the TN is NOT 4 without modifiers taken into account to change the TN?

Opposed rolls. For example, if two characters are making opposed Agility rolls then the target number would be whatever the first person rolled.

Fork Tongue Fannie and Black Bonnie both see the decanter containing the antidote both of them need roll across the deck and come to a rest between them. Each of them is in desperate need of the antidote and they dive for it at the same time. Fannie rolls her Agility and gets a grand total of 9. Black Bonnie rolls her Agility and only gets an 8. Fannie is the one who grabs the decanter.

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If I want to shoot that opposing player is the TN still 4 plus any range/cover modifiers that would be in effect?

Yes, the TN is still 4, and the die roll is modified by range. Cover doesn't actually modify the die roll but it will provide armor for the target.

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I think if I am reading the rules correctly that when shooting someone the TN is still a 4 but is modified by things like range, cover, lighting and, if the opposing character is using a Defenseive action. Is this correct?

I might be wrong but I don't think there's really any defensive action you can take to modify the Shooting roll. You can take the Dodge Edge which will give the shooter a -1 penalty to his Shooting roll though.

Remember, the TN is always a 4, it is the die roll that is modified by range, lighting conditions, unstable platforms, etc.

I think these answers have been covered multiple times, but if no one minds one more attempt...

daddystabz wrote:

1) For the innocent bystander rule in which you hit an adjacent character when you get a result of a 1 on your Shooting die, do you still go with the 1 on the Shooting die even if you rolled a good result on the Wild die? Another words, do you ignore the Wild die when you get a 1 on the Shooting die result in this circumstance?

Nope, like it says on page 84, "Each miss that comes up a 1 on the Shooting die..."

If the attack hits due to the Wild Die, then it hits and the result of the Shooting die doesn't matter as far as Innocent Bystander goes.

daddystabz wrote:

2) I see the target number is stated in the core rulebook as a 4. Is this always the target number for any kind of roll that isn't tied to a Trait or is an Opposed roll or isn't modified by another factor? I was a little unclear on the 4 TN.

There are really only 3 instances where the TN isn't 4.

1. Parry
2. Toughness
3. An Opposed roll

Pretty much everything else is a 4. Since Parry and Toughness are in the character's stats, for any other roll it's really just a matter of what the modifiers might be.

daddystabz wrote:

3) In running Initiative I was a bit confused about after the cards are dealt to each player the book says the GM then calls out the ace and then the deuce....does this mean the GM starts with the first suit in the order it states in the book (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs) until the players call out they have the card he just called? Then the player that has that card the GM called would declare their action I assume??

Actually, the GM goes down in order "from the Ace to the Duece..." That's really just the sequence it goes in to determine who acts when. He can get there however he likes. It can really vary according to number of players and the play area.

Counting down would work for most any situation, but with a few players around a close table, it's easy enough to just see everyone's cards (even easier if you happen to use the SW oversized deck).

Heck, in our games, the players will often look at their cards and tell him, "The highest card we have is the..." and the GM can either tell that person to go or say X character/characters get to go first.

daddystabz wrote:

4) Again on Initiative, it seems a Joker allows a player to go at anytime in the round they wish or to be on hold for the next round and not be dealt in. Does this mean the player can go at any time in the round he was not dealt in as well or does he have to start off the round before anyone else with his action?

A character who gets the Joker can "go whenever you want in the round..." That means they can go before even the Ace of Spades if they want or at any point at all. If they want to wait and act later, they certainly can.

There is really no reason to hold onto a Joker until the next round. Then +2 bonus only applies for the current round, and at the end of the round, the deck will be reshuffled since the Joker was drawn.

daddystabz wrote:

5) Can someone explain Shaken to me please? I haven't noticed a good explanation for it yet in my reading so far. When the character is a victim of being Shaken does that mean he cannot act again that round?

A character who is Shaken can only move half their Pace and cannot perform any other actions. When it is his turn to act, all he can do is attempt to recover from being Shaken. This is a Spirit roll. If he fails, he remains Shaken. If he succeeds, he is no longer Shaken, but recovery was his only action. If he gets a raise on the roll, he recovers effectively as a "free" action and can still take normal actions for that turn.

Remember though, that a player can spend a Benny at any time to remove a Shaken status without having to roll.

And if you really think about it parry and toughness are basically opposed rolls to Fighting and Vigor. They are averaged out (with some modifiers, of course), to make the game flow more quickly, as Parry and Toughness checks occur the most frequently.

I fell I really understand the Savage Worlds system now and you all have been fantastic in your helpful answers. Such wonderful responses from you all!

I am very new to the Savage Worlds system but now it has become my favorite ruleset and I am forming Pirates of the Spanish Main and Rippers campaign groups now. I really feel now that these questions I had are answered that I now have a good grasp of the rules.

This might sound a bit strange, daddystabz, but not as strange as I feel writing that name out. Anyway, the Savage Worlds system is so simple that I sometimes over think things and that's where I run into trouble. I'm just so used to things being more complicated.

For instance, if my character has Heavy Armor that is +2 does that simply mean that it will subtract 2 from any damage received?

Page 51 of Pirates give you what you need to know, when you get there

As an aside, characters can't usually get Heavy Armor, and that's especially true in Pirates. Heavy Armor can only be penetrated by Heavy Weapons, such as cannons. Ordinary weapons (ones without the HW listing) cannot damage targets with Heavy Armor, regardless of their damage roll.